This invention relates to chronic fatigue syndrome.
Chronic fatigue syndrome has been accepted as a disease only recently and is still subject to considerable uncertainty as to how it may be described. It occurs principally in young adults in the age group of about 22 through 35, but can appear in childhood and through middle age. It is primarily characterized by persistent or relapsing, debilitating fatigue or easy fatigability that may come on suddenly with flu-like symptoms, and that does not resolve with bed rest. Flu-like symptoms may include pharyngitis, anterior or posterior cervical or axillary adenopathy, low-grade fever, myalgia, migratory arthralgia without joint swelling or redness, headache, and difficulty concentrating. Symptoms may also include dysautonomia, mood disturbance, personality change, endocrine system change, unexplained generalized muscle weakness, impairment of sleep, and vision changes. Definitive diagnosis is evasive.
It is thought that the disease initially involves the immune system and thereafter affects the central nervous system. Evidence of virological and bacterial involvement has been reported. There is dispute as to whether it is a psychosomatic illness or organic illness. Most investigations have involved attempted isolation of a causative virus or bacteria from a body fluid or tissue. Brain structure, brain blood flow and brain metabolism of chronic fatigue syndrome patients have been evaluated using PET, SPECT and BEAM scanning procedures, but the results have been unhelpful.
As illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,751, brain sites giving raise to brain wave activity and the interrelationships between brain sites, have been studied under stimuli. As exemplified by J. F. Lubar, Chapter 7, in Biofeedback, Principles and Practice for Clinicians (Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, 1989), and Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 16(3): 201 (1991), brain waves of children having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have been evaluated during neuropsychometric testing, and the EEG data analyzed by topographic brain mapping.
Topographic brain mapping permits localized brain areas to be compared for function, and permits the comparison of one brain hemisphere with the other. Brain mapping may use electrode placement according to the International 10-20 Electrode Configuration, that is, the placement of twenty-four electrodes on designated scalp areas.
Neuropsychrometric tests are generally used to evaluate mental information processing including auditory and visual memory processing, and include assembling puzzles, placing pictures in a story-telling sequence, reading out loud, reading silently for comprehension, remembering and repeating back a series of numbers in the given or reverse order, mentally performing mathematical calculations, and converting visual memory into a drawing as a test of short term memory and figure ground perception. However, chronic fatigue syndrome patients have neurological signs that are most often soft, not hard.
As can be understood, considerable effort has been spent on chronic fatigue syndrome but definitive diagnosis remains evasive. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method for diagnosing chronic fatigue syndrome.
As illustrated by Chapter 7, in Biofeedback, Principles and Practice for Clinicians, and by Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, biofeedback-based training has been used to change brain waves. The training has been used with, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder children and with seizure disorder patients.
Varied treatments including drugs and holistic approaches such as herbal remedies, acupuncture and massage, have been tried for chronic fatigue syndrome. As illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,296, one comparatively beneficial treatment is the administration of mammalian liver extract. As exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. No. 5,013,739, an opiate receptor antagonist has also been used. Drugs usually prescribed for symptomatic relief include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, tricyclic antidepressants, sleep-inducing drugs, tranquilizers, and anti-anxiety drugs. However, generally speaking, symptomatic treatment efforts other than to reduce anxiety, have met with little or no success. As a result, stress management and adjustment counseling are often recommended for chronic fatigue syndrome.
As can be understood, an effective treatment method is lacking for chronic fatigue syndrome. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method for treating chronic fatigue syndrome.